Japan's Nippon Steel shuts 136-MW coal-fired plant

TOKYO: Japan's Nippon Steel Corp shut the 136 megawatt coal-fired plant at its Kamaishi works on Tuesday due to a problem with a coal conveyor system, said Tohoku Electric Power Co, which buys the power produced by the plant.

Tohoku Electric, which serves the northeast regions that were hit by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in March, ruled out a possible power shortage despite the unplanned shutdown.

Tohoku Electric has been meeting peak winter demand with assistance from Tokyo Electric Power and Hokkaido Electric Power Co.